Hal Smith Narrations
Pinocchio (1940) (Read-Along) (Narration as Jiminy Cricket) *''"This is the story of Pinocchio. You can read along with me in your book. You will know it is time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this… Let's begin now."'' *''"Have you ever wondered if wishes really do come true? Well, they do! And I, Jiminy Cricket, have seen it happen! Here, let me tell you about it. One starry night, my travels took me to a tiny shop owned by Geppetto, the woodcarver."'' *''"I sneaked under the door and saw old Geppetto working on a puppet that looked like a little boy. Geppetto put on a last dab of paint."'' *''"Geppetto took Pinocchio down off the workbench and danced the little puppet across the wooden floor by pulling the strings. Figaro, the cat, wasn't sure he liked the newcomer who clomped and clattered around the shop. But Geppetto liked his little Pinocchio very much."'' *''"Just before going to sleep, Geppetto looked out his window into the starry night. And with that, Geppetto drifted happily off to sleep. I settled down to bed in an empty matchbox."'' *''"Moments later, the room filled with light and there stood a beautiful Blue Fairy. She tapped Pinocchio with her magic wand. Then Pinocchio moved!"'' *''"I said, jumping onto the workbench. And with that, she vanished."'' *''"When Geppetto woke up and saw Pinocchio walking and talking, he was amazed! And the two of them danced around the shop, laughing merrily."'' *''"The next morning, Geppetto sent Pinocchio off to school. But there was trouble hiding along the way. A sly fox and a crafty cat convinced Pinocchio that the place for a puppet without strings was the theater. And they steered Pinoke away from school and off to Stromboli, the puppetmaster."'' *''"Stromboli put Pinocchio into his puppet show that very day. The audiences poured in to see the little puppet, who could sing and dance completely without strings. Yes, sir, PInoke was a big hit. I told him he ought to be in school, but he wouldn't listen! Besides, he was making so much money that I figured I must be wrong. Little did I know!"'' *''"In Stromboli's wagon after the show, the greedy puppetmaster took all Pinocchio's money and then locked him in a cage! Pinocchio shook the bars of his cage. But Stromboli only laughed and slammed the wagon door. I found poor Pinoke crying in the dark."'' *''"Just then, the Blue Fairy reappeared. Pinocchio tried to cover up his predicament by lying, but with each lie, his wooden nose grew longer and longer! She waved her wand, and in a twinkling, Pinocchio's nose was back to normal and the cage door open!"'' *''"As we headed for home, Pinoke heard about a wonderful place called Pleasure Island where boys were allowed to break windows, smoke cigars and stay up late. It sounded fishy to me, but Pinoke wanted to go. He climbed aboard a coach full of noisy, foolish boys. All I could do was tag along."'' *''"At Pleasure Island, Pinocchio joined all those rowdy boys in wrecking furniture, throwing mudballs and playing pool. I knew this place wasn't good, so I tried to talk Pinoke into leaving. And I left."'' *''"As I headed for the boat dock, I noticed some sinister men herding frightened little donkeys into crates. The strange part was that the donkeys were wearing boys' clothing. And some were crying. Then it hit me! These were bad boys who had turned into donkeys! I had to get Pinoke off Pleasure Island and fast!"'' *''"I dashed back to the poolroom, hollering. But I was too late. Pinocchio had already sprouted donkey's ears and a tail! We ran to the water's edge, dove into the sea and swam for the mainland. Pinocchio pulled himself from the water, still wearing ears and a tail, but he was glad he had escaped Pleasure Island."'' *''"When we arrived at Geppetto's workshop, the place was locked and Geppetto was gone. Just then, a magic dove flew by and dropped a note."'' *''"Poor Pinocchio thought his father was done for, but I read on. Pinocchio squared his shoulders. With that, Pinocchio ran to a high cliff over the ocean. He tied a rock to his tail and jumped into the water. The rock took Pinoke to the ocean floor, where he began his search for Geppetto."'' *''"Pinocchio's search wasn't long. Monstro was busy swallowing up tuna fish for a meal and Pinocchio was swept into Monstro's belly, along with the fish. Geppetto was surprised!"'' *''"Suddenly, Pinocchio had a tremendous idea. Pinocchio and Geppetto started a blaze and then climbed onto a raft while the smoke curled upward toward Monstro's nose. The giant whale sniffed and snorted and finally sneezed the little raft right out of his mouth!"'' *''"Pinocchio and Geppetto had escaped safely, but Monstro was angry at being tricked. He raced toward the tiny raft with a terrifying look in his eyes."'' *''"Monstro dove underwater and then came up fiercely underneath the raft. Pinocchio and Geppetto were thrown into the air as their raft broke into a thousand pieces! Geppetto floundered helplessly as he watched the furious whale turn about."'' *''"But Geppetto was too tired to swim anymore. Pinocchio grabbed Geppetto's shirt and swam bravely for shore. Just as Monstro dove at them, Pinocchio pulled Geppetto to safety behind some rocks."'' *''"Geppetto woke to find himself on shore, out of danger. But poor Pinocchio was lying deathly still to the pounding surf. Geppetto tearfully carried Pinocchio back to his workshop and laid the motionless puppet on the bed."'' *''"Suddenly, we heard the Blue Fairy's voice. Pinocchio sat up to find himself changed into a real boy! Bursting with joy, he and Geppetto danced about the workshop. And so, you see, wishes really do come true."'' Category:Narrations